1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a biometric anti-theft device and in particular to a biometric shifter lock control which uses a biometric sensor to control the release of a shifter lock on any vehicle, equipment, or machinery having a transmission shift actuator on land, water, or air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The increase in the number of thefts and unauthorized uses of vehicles, boats, aircraft, heavy equipment, machinery and other devices having transmission actuators has lead to the development of various anti-theft devices. These anti-theft devices include, among others, steering locks, steering and pedal locks, hand brake locks, alarm systems, and immobilizer systems.
A variety of systems have been developed to reduce the ease with which automobiles are stolen due to the frequency of automobile theft. Some of the systems involve locking the vehicle transmission in some manner. The problems inherent in these systems are the ease of bypassing the system when the locking device is located on the outside of the transmission or the difficulty of installation when the locking device is located on the inside of the transmission.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,140, issued Jan. 28, 1997 to Eizen provides a vehicle anti-theft device requiring a key for operation and comprising a gear shift lock and an ancillary vehicle anti-theft device, such as one or more of the following: audio or visual alarm, ignition or vehicle operation interlocking means, intrusion or vehicle motion detection apparatus, any other suitable vehicle anti-theft device which is operated automatically by operation of the gear shift lock.
French Patent No. 2,572,037, issued on Oct. 22, 1984, to Barbarot teaches an encoder linked to an electromagnetic device which engages a multiple rocker arm mechanism that locks the clutch cable thereby preventing movement of the clutch lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,662,099, issued on Mar. 13, 1928, to O. A. Anderson teaches a mechanical locking device for motor vehicles that operates in conjunction with the ignition switch to lock the transmission. The patent shows the ignition switch mounted in the transmission shifting lever where insertion and rotation of the key causes a plunger in the shifting lever to engage the transmission shifting ball allowing the user to then shift gears. When the key is then rotated in the opposite direction, thereby turning off the engine, the plunger is released from the ball and the shifting lever will no longer operate to shift the gears in the transmission.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,355, issued on Oct. 7, 1986, to Garcia et al. teaches an automobile anti-theft device which mechanically locks the automatic transmission of an automobile utilizing a bolt which blocks the shifting lever, detent lever or manual valve. The bolt is held in proper position by a series of metal plates fixedly attached to a base which is then attached to the lever to be locked. The bolt is held in the locked position by a spring which the bolt runs through. The bolt is moved into the unlocked position by means of a steel cable, electromagnetic device or vacuum. The means used to unlock the bolt (steel cable, electromagnetic or vacuum) is not described except to indicated that they are available methods to move the bolt out of the locking position. However, an armored line employed to prevent tampering of the locking means is described.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,171, issued on Dec. 11, 1990, to Sharp et al. teaches a transmission shifter to operate controlled mechanism interlock utilizing a cable assembly attached to a toothed rack and a pawl operated by a solenoid that engages the teeth of the rack. The locking device is activated when the transmission selector lever is placed in the park position. It is deactivated when the operator of the vehicle places his/her foot on the service brake thus allowing the selector lever to be moved from a non-drive position to a drive position. This device does not provide any security for the vehicle which one of the intents of the present invention. This device also requires a steering column lock which is a common theft deterrent method.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,968, issued on Aug. 14, 1990, to Slavin et al. teaches a transmission mounted solenoid interlock device which is mounted on the transmission and when energized or de-energized will engage a notch located on the shift actuating lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,004, issued on Oct. 5, 1971, to Neese teaches a parking lock for transmissions that employs a locking wheel fixed to a transmission output shaft that is engaged by a spring activated piston and rod device. The rod is disengaged from the locking wheel by hydraulic pressure acting on the piston to overcome the force of the spring. A blocker pin is also moved into a position which prevents the piston from moving out of the unlock position. The hydraulic pressure is produced by the transmission when the engine is started. When the engine is shut off, the hydraulic pressure on the blocker bin and piston are released and the pressure of the spring forces the rod into the locking wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,654, issued on Dec. 5, 1989, to Durigon teaches a transmission control locking device that disables the drive train utilizing a spring loaded solenoid that locks the clutch actuation lever when the transmission gear selector is placed in a predetermined position and the solenoid is de-energized. The solenoid is energized by a remotely controlled electronic circuit (not described) thereby releasing the clutch actuation lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,657, issued on Dec. 11, 1979, to Aydin teaches an electronic lock system utilizing an encoded key and decoder which activate an electric clutch operated bolt mechanism or will change the code which activates the electric clutch. The decoder can be an opto-electronic, magnetic other electrical device capable of decoded the encode key. The clutch is not activated until the key is removed from the lock thereby preventing the user from leaving the key in the lock. The system allows for operation by battery power since only the clutch need be activated and not the bolt mechanism itself. The system provides for multi-access levels (e.g. master keys, floor keys, backup keys, etc.). A timer is incorporated which switches power only to the circuits needed for operation at the time of use. The system may also be interfaced with other security devices such as an electronic alarm. The code on the key may be self canceling for one time use or may be controlled by a manual switch which restricts the number of uses.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,202 issued on Feb. 27, 1973, to Brock teaches vehicle anti-theft system utilizing an encoder panel which accepts a code sequence, a decoder and lock mechanism. The lock mechanism is comprised of a solenoid, shaft, extending member and locking gear. The locking gear is wedged between transmission gears to prevent movement of the drive train. A predetermined four digit code is entered into a control panel thereby operating the lock mechanism. The encoder-decoder combination may also be used to prevent ignition of the engine as well as preventing movement of the drive train. This device requires major design changes to the transmission to incorporate it into a transmission or to add it to an existing transmission.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,890,581, issued on Jun. 16, 1959, to D. T. Lewis teaches a device to lock the operator shift lever from moving until a positive act such as closing of the ignition switch or a manually operated device connected directly to the car lock is accomplished. This device is not protected from external tampering by a thief and does not protect the shift lever from external movement when the vehicle is locked.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,940, issued on Feb. 24, 1976, to Y. Sasabe et al. teaches a device to lock the gear shift mechanism of a manually operated power transmission system and utilizes a solenoid in combination with a first and second movable member to accomplish the locking. The solenoid is actuated by connecting the seat belt in the cab of the motor vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,488, issued on Aug. 31, 1976, to T. Kameyama teaches a shift locking device for a manual transmission which prevents the manual transmission shifting rod from shifting into a gear unless a predetermined safety measure such as wearing a safety belt has been taken by the driver. This device has no security protection from outside deactivation by a thief and also requires the normal steering column lock used in automotive vehicles. The device also does not prevent accidental damage to the manual transmission or the device itself should the thief try to force the shift lever to a desired position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,422, issued Jun. 29, 1974, to L. L. Bowler teaches a push button transmission selector mechanism and electronic lock and control logic for preventing unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The ignition circuit and selector mechanism of the motor vehicle is locked until a code number is entered by the operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,654 issued Dec. 5, 1989, to Duilio Durigon discloses a transmission control locking device. A locking rod with a slot formed therein is mounted on a clutch operating lever. The locking rod is free to slide in a bore formed in a locking frame having slots for receiving a tapered locking plate mounted for movement at right angles to the locking rod. The locking plate is operated by a plunger of a solenoid through the use of a pivotable arm. A coil spring is connected between the end of the pivotable arm, to which the locking plate is connected, and the locking frame. The coil spring urges the locking plate towards the locking frame. The solenoid is controlled by an electronic circuit which switches power to the solenoid according to the state of a control signal on an input. The device locks the clutch operating lever with the locking plate when the solenoid is de-energized. Energization of the solenoid allows disengagement of the clutch and permits normal operation thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,244 issued Jul. 11, 1995, to Jose D. Possobom discloses a locking device having an enclosed box, an actuating pin mounted inside a double action solenoid and relay to command the solenoid. The solenoid is double action because it commands the actuating pin forward and back. The actuating pin actuates in a slot in a part assembled on the reverse shift bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,868 issued Jan. 19, 1993, to Roland Thibeault discloses a motor vehicle transmission locking device for use with automatic and manual transmissions. The device uses a solenoid to lock a pin in a notch formed on an existing transmission parking shaft to lock the transmission in the parked position. The solenoid is mounted on the inside of the transmission case and may be activated by an encoder/decoder circuit and may be activated by a switch.
Each of those known locking devices utilizing a solenoid to actuate locking means rely on the vehicle battery exclusively for power, resulting in problems if the vehicle battery is dead or disconnected from the power system. Additionally, many of the known devices utilize some type of rigid rod to lock the drive train of a vehicle. Consequently, the device must be installed near the transmission or clutch. Installation of such devices is hindered, as a result, since the clutch and transmission may not be easily accessible or sufficient space may not be available on many vehicle models.
What is needed is an easily installed, inexpensive anti-theft system which can utilize existing shift locking mechanisms when they are already in place on a vehicle, such as various automatic shift lever locking means. And furthermore, the control for the anti-theft device should be coded to the same identifying features of the proper authorized operator(s) of the vehicle to prevent use by unwanted others.